Portfolio

Diesel Jeep Wrangler - coming to the US?

Diesel Jeep Wrangler © DaimlerChrysler UK For years, British Jeep enthusiasts have been envious of their American counterparts. The Jeep brand is somehow diluted by its trip across the Atlantic, and we've grown used to a limited selection of models and a restricted options list.

Today, though, the muddy boot is on the other foot. Spiraling US gas prices and a growing concern for our environment have created keen interest in Europe's secret weapon: diesel...

» Read the full article in Low-Range magazine

Two Jeeps, 12,000 miles and one wedding - an epic road-trip

Two Jeeps © A Kefford "Your vehicles are in breach of Pennsylvania State vehicle code and you are driving illegally without proper vehicle tags," the cop bawls, adding with certainty: "your vehicles will be impounded."

His partner, hand resting on his holstered firearm, scans the interior of the Jeep with his flashlight. "What in the hell is that doing there!" he snorts, as the beam lands on the steering wheel in front of me - on the right-hand side of the dash.

We knew driving two British-registered and highly modified Jeeps through Pennsylvania - with its strict vehicle code - would be a challenge, but this isn't quite what we had in mind...

» Read the full article in Low-Range magazine

Car Road Tests

Nissan Navara Aventura © Nissan Motor GB A number of independent car road tests produced for the TestDriven.co.uk website.

Personal Computer World: Evolution-revolution debate - Imitation has been the watchword in the past 20 years of the PC

IBM Personal Computer © IBM In 1981, a mainframe manufacturer launched a new computer, a machine so successful it killed off the inventive spirit of the generation. Technologically speaking, it wasn't particularly advanced, but somehow it has been the basis of personal computing ever since. We know it today as the IBM PC, but back then, it was merely a cheap way to provide computing power to businesses across the globe.

From that day on, the industry has done little but concentrate its efforts on refining the original design. Sure, clock speeds have been cranked up a notch or two, but the watch-word has been evolution, not revolution...

» Read the full article at PCW.co.uk

Personal Computer World: Leave your map at home - GPS group test and workshop

Compaq iPAQ © A Kefford Printed maps have been with us for hundreds of years. In that time, they've hardly changed - they're still cumbersome, easily ripped, slowly develop canyon-like creases through important landmarks and you often need a vast library of them to complete a journey of any decent length. Not to mention their entirely passive nature: even the best maps still can't tell you where you are. Surely there's a better way.

Luckily, there is, and it's all thanks to the US military. With the advent of Global Positioning Systems (GPS), it's now possible to pinpoint your precise location anywhere on the planet. The more advanced GPS hardware can even be connected to a notebook computer or PDA to form a truly active navigation system...

» Read the full article at PCW.co.uk

John o'Groats Road-trip: 1,400 miles, 27 hours, and 8 cans of Red Bull

Honda Accord at John o'Groats © A Kefford Emerging from the house in a caffeine-free stumble, he peers at the expanse of silver paintwork before him. "Couldn't you have found a smaller car?" my passenger jests, through bleary eyes.

It's true, Honda's five-door version of the Accord is probably visible from space. In a market full of 'lifestyle estates' barely commodious enough for even moderate cat-swinging, the Japanese have created a truly gargantuan rival to the ubiquitous Volvo estate.

Strange, then, that they should settle on the 'Tourer' moniker, given its epic 1,707 litre luggage capacity. Can an estate car perform like a grand tourer without feeling like a mobile barn conversion? We decided there was really only one way to find out - we would point the Honda badge north and stop driving when we'd had enough...

» Read the full article here...

Red Squirrels - are we about to lose our best-loved native mammal?

© Forestry Commission One of Britain's best-loved native mammals is facing its toughest challenge.

The red squirrel was formerly widespread throughout Britain, but has experienced a significant decline in the last 50 years and is now restricted to Scotland, the north of England, and small pockets in Wales, the Isle of Wight and Brownsea Island.

The population has suffered at the hands of three main attacks on its numbers: woodland management, disease and the spread of the more adaptable grey squirrel...

» Read the full article here...

Cobra Griffon night vision

Cobra Griffon night vision © Cobra It's an incredible experience, sitting in the middle of a forest on a dark October evening, surrounded by the guttural roars of testosterone-charged deer stags. You can hear them stumbling around just a few feet from you, but you can't see them. Or can you?

When originally developed just before World War II, night vision equipment relied on powerful infra-red lamps to illuminate the subject. However, as the enemy forces also began to adopt night vision equipment, it became easy to look for the other force's IR lamps and use them for target practice. Clearly, a better system was needed...

» Read the full article here...

Lowa Mountain Boots

Lowa Mountain Boots © Lowa When you're out enjoying the countryside, or busy tracking particularly elusive wildlife, you don't want anything to detract from the job in hand. Particularly not the sensation of sore feet.

Now, I'm quite hard on my footwear. I like standing in muddy puddles for no reason, before walking for miles, crossing a river, then climbing up a cliff. My previous pair of boots had served me well, but when their time came to an end, the search was on for a worthy replacement...

» Read the full article here...